Think Your Pet Bird Hates You?

January 6, 2017

If your pet bird seems to "hate" you, chances are she really doesn't. Relax around your pet bird and reconnect with her with these tips.

Sally Blanchard

Our misinterpretation of a parrot’s behavior is one of the major causes of problems with the people/parrot relationship. I hear lots of rules and absolutes about parrot behavior, but I believe there is one golden rule in understanding our pet birds: Parrots are more comfortable with people who are comfortable with them. When people call me for a parrot behavior consultation, there are two things I hear quite frequently. The first is, "My bird suddenly turned mean,” and the other is, "My bird hates me.” The choice of words depends on how people interpret the fact that their bird has either been aggressive with them or suddenly wants nothing to do with them. Both statements are rarely, if ever, what is really going on.

Your bird shouldn't suddenly start "hating" you. Something has changed, and you have to look for clues to what.

People tend to take the changes in their parrots’ behavior personally, and they also interpret these changes as if parrot logic is the same as ours. While it is true...